Cigar-bunch machine.



N. DU BRUL,

V CIGAR BUNCH MACHINE. I APPLIGATIO'K 211.2 :mm 24.1mm.

" 7 946,663. Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

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Specification of Lcttcrs ratent.

v CIGAR-BUNCH MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

application filed June 24;, 1908'. Serial No. 440,158.

To all whom it may concern: to it known that I, NAPOLEON DU Bnu-L, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and S State of Ohio, have invented certain new I and useful Improvements in Cigar-Bunch Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for prov ducing the bunch, in cigar manufacture, and

particularly to that portion of such machines by which shdrt filler tobacco contained in a hopper, is forced by a plunger, through an opening in the bottom of the hopper, into a I matrix which measures a charge of tobacco suitable in size and shape, to constitute the filler of a cigar and then advances said charge to a position from which it may be deposited by a second plunger, upon the apron which rolls it in the binder.

The present invention has for its objects, amon r others, to avoid breaking or reIlUL'inthe to acco; to insure feeding the larger am smaller portions of the tobacco alike; to insure a more constant and uniform delivery of the tobacco to th matrix; to greatly simplify the construction of the mechanism; and to render the feeding nu-chanism interchangeable with the feed mechanism of existin 1 machines. These several objects are attained by imparting intermittent movement, step by step, to the means which advances the tobacco toward the discharge opening, thereby eliminating the agitation which breaks up the tobacco and which causes the coarse material to collect at the top and the finer material tosettle to the bottom with consequent uniformity in the discharge of the tobacco; also by constructing the feeding means in the form of circular eries of flights or wings to take more pos tive hold upon the short cut filler 'tobacco and upon the coarser and fine." material alike, and move it toward the discharge opening, the flights or wings-btin caused to move in opposite directions, and the outer series being made to overlap the discharge opening, so that they bring tobacco from both sides oward the dischar e opening and keep a large volume of to acco above the latter; also by constructing the discharge opening m the form of a deep receptacle below the l tobacco constantly advanced by the flights or wings, and which therefore maintains a uniform condition of tobacco immediately above the matrix; also by constructing the plunger. on simpler lines and with simpler operating mechanism and causing it to reciprocate in the pocket and force the tobacco into the shaping matrix; also by causing the step by step movement of the flights or wings to be developed from the reciprocating movement;- of the slide which carries the matrix. v

My present invention will be fully set forth in the followin description and its novel features pointef out in the appended claims, reference being bad to the accompanymg drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cigar bunch machine having my improved tobaccofeeding mechanism embodiedtherein and shown in vertical section; 2 is a plan view of the tobacco feeding mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the reversely acting l'utchcts through which the opposite movements of the slide are transmitted, step by step, to the respective series of flights or wings; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the camwhccl that raises the feed-plunger; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the oppositely acting pawls and the bracket in which they are mounted.

1 represents a hopper into which is placed short tiller tobacco and from which the tobacco is discharged through an opening 2 and forced bv a vertically reciprocating feed plunger 3 into the shaping matrix 4 of a transverse slide 5, which forwards it-to a position beneath a second plunger (2, by which itis deposited into the depression of a rolling apron 8, in a manner and for a purpose well known in the art.

lleretofore discharge opening 2 was merely an openingin the tint bottom of the hopper. but according to the present invention, said opening is in the form of a deep pocket below the bottom of the hopper and immediately over the inner position of matrix 4, and it maintains a constant supply and uniform condition of tobacco above said matrix; The plunger 3 is of simplified construction, being mounted upon the lever 9 fulcrumed at 10 and connected at its outer bottom of the ho per and above the matrii l end with push rod 11 that receives, periodwhich is kept fil ed by the large volume of) ically, a series of upward thrustsfrom cams 2 p o assess I bacco'downward towardthe matrix, while said rod 11 is returned in each interim bv a spring 13 confined between. shoulder 11 011 the rod, and bracket 14 in which the rod is guided. Heretofore, shakers or agitators the wings.

have been employed to cause the tobacco in the hopper to move toward the point oi -discharge. but these are objectionable in that they break .up or reduce the tobacco andcause the coarser material to work to the top and the finer'material to feed out first.

According to my present invention the tobacco is positively advanced toward the outlet without the aforesaid disadvantages by two oppositely moving circular series of flights or wings 15, 16, located at the bottqm of the hopper and rotated step by step, while the bottom of the hopper, within such wings is conoidal in form to cause the.tobacco to gravitate outward. The flights or wings of the outer series, pass partly over the pocket 2 andrthe latter is kept filled by the large volume of tobacco constantly forwarded by the series of wings are mounted on disks E7. 18, respectively, of which the upper disk 17 provides the conical bottom of the hopper, and said disks are rotatably mounted and they receive a step by step rotation in opposite directions, through the following instrumentalit ies:

19 represents a vertical shaft rotatahly supported in frame 20 of the machine and provided with a retaining collar 21. This shaft projects vertically beyond the bed 22 and at a point immediately above said bed is provided with a'collar 23.

' 24:, 25, represent two ratchet wheels with oppositely directed teeth, of which the lower ratchet wheel 25 is clutched to the collar whereby it is adapted to impart rotation to said collar, while the upper ratchet wheel 24 is rotatable relatively to the ratchet Wheel 2:). Disk 18, which carries the outer series of wings 16, has a hub 1S which is clutched to the ratchet. wheel 24 and thus receives rotation from the latter. Disk 17, which car-- ries the inner series of win s 15, is provided with a tubular shank 17 w 'llCll fits the shaft 19 and extends downwardly through the hub 18 and the ratchet wheels 24, 25, and is clutched at its lower end to the collar 23, thus causing disk 17 with its wings to receive rotation im arted to collar 23 by ratchet wheel 25. isk 17 is shouldered above the hub 18" of disk 18 and is in turn held down relatively to the shaft 19 by means of a nut 26 screwed upon the upper end of the shaft and enter-i-ng an enlargement in the bore of the shank. The parts are thu-s securely held in their proper relations, by means which permits the parts to be readib' separated and r e-assembled. i

For structural considerations- 27, 28, represent two-oppositely acting pawls which are mounted in a bracket 29 that is in turn secured to the slide 5 in such position to cause said pawls to co-act, respectively, with the ratchet wheels 24, 25, as the slide reciprocates them tangentially thereto.

Intermittent reciprocation is imparted to the slide 5 by any suitable known means, such for instance, as the lever 30 fulcrumed at 31 and having its lower end engaged by a cam 32 upon the main shaft 33. Said mail shaft is-provided with other cams designed to actuate other parts of the cigar bunch machine to which my present invention does not relate. A clutch 34 controlled by foot levers 35 serves to throw the machine into operation at the will of the operator.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Upon depressing the foot lever, the clutch 34 is thrown in and the shaft 33 makes a single revolution, during which the plunger 3 executes a series of strokes that feeds the tobacco downward through the pocket 2 and into the matrix 4; after which slide 5 moves forward with its measured and molded charge of tobacco, until matrix '4 containing said charge is brought beneath the plunger (3, when said plunger will be depressed andthe charge of tobacco will be deposited in the pocket 7 of the apron 8, after which the slide 5 returns to its normal position in readiness to receive a new charge for the next bunch to be formed; during the forward movement of slide 5, the pawl 27 engages ratchet wheel 24 and rotates the-latter, .togctlier with disk 18, and the outer series of wings 1G, a distance corresponding to one tooth, while on a return movement of slide '5, pawl 28 engages the ratchet 25 and rotates the latter, together with the upper disk 17 and its wings 15. a distance corresponding to one'tooth in a direction opposite to the rotation imparted to the disk 18 and its wings. These-rotary movements imparted to the wings 15 and 16 tend to move the. tobacco without agitating it and fill the space that has been left by the withdrawal of the preceding charge; the ,disk l7-which constitutes the main area of the bottom of the hopper, being conoidal in form, causes the tobacco to gravitate downwardly within reach of the wings.v The filler is thus brou ht under the plunger 2-with th.- least possib e movement; the tobacco is prevented from arching; the feed is uniform notwithstanding non-uniformity in the size of the tobacco parts, and reduction of the tobacco is avoided. siderable space is left between the bed 22 and the hopper bottom which not only provides for the ratchets, but gives'jerti'cal dimension to'the discharge pocket 2 and increases the efiieiency of the plunger-action. The number of cams 12 on wheel 12 Is not important. Thrust rod 11 is preferably provided with a roller bearihg 11* for impingement on tbewheel. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a cigar bunch machine a hopper, :1

' matrix receiving measured charges of toba'cco from'the hopper, a plunger forcing the i tobacco toward the matrix and an elon ated pocket located betweenthe hopper an ma t-rix and registering with said matrix, confining the tobacco acted upon by the plunger.

'2. In a cigar bunch. machine, a hop er having an elongated vertical discharge )oc (et arranged to receive tobacco from sai hop-' per, a plunger reciprocating in said pocket to vfeed tobacco therethrough and a slide reciprocating beneath the pocket, and having a lmllllX' receiving measured charges of tobacco therefronr and normally registering with said pocket.

. In a cigar bunch machine having a hopper constructed with a discharge opening, rotary feeding means in the hopper for ad vancing the tobacco toward the discharge opening, a plunger for assisting the discharge of tobacco through the discharge opening, means constantly rotating the feeding means, and independent means intermittently reciprocating the plunger consisting in-the fulcrumed lever connected at one end to the plunger, the ush rod connected to the other end of said ever, the spring moving said ush rod in one direction. and the camwheel imparting intermittentimpulses to said push rod in the other direction,

4. n a cigar bunch machine, a hopper for containing filler-tobacco, having a discharge opening, rotary feeding means for advancing the filler-tobacco toward the discharge open ing. means for imparting rotary movement to the feeding means, a reciprocatory plunger forcing tliejobacco into the discharge opening, and independent means for reciprocating the plunger im iartiug a plurality of strokes thereto for eac i charge fed to the discharge opening.

5. In a cigar bunch machine a hopper for containing filler-tobacco, having a discharge opening and means for advancing the fillertobacco therein consisting of a plurality of ent concentric;circular series of wingsand means moving said series. of wings in opposite directions intermittently.

8. In a cigar bunch machine, a hopper for containing filler-tolm'cco having a discharge opening and means for advancing the fillertobaccotherein consisting of two independent concentric circular series of wings and means moving said series of wings in opposite directions intermittently and with step by step movements.

9. In a cigar. bunch machine a hopper havmg means for advancing the tobacco therein comprising superposed disks independently rotatable and respectively provided with wings, and means for rotating said'disks in opposite directions consisting of ratchet wheels with oppositely presented teeth and oppositely presented pawls reciprocating tangentially to the ratchet wheels.

10. In a cigar bunch machine the combination of the hopper, the superposed disks in said hopper having peripheral wings'for advancing the tobacco in the hopper, the shaft projectin vertically into the hopper upon which sai disks are rotatably mounted,

ratchet wheels mounted concentricall with said shaft, beneath the disks, in riving relation to the respective disks and having oppositely presented teeth. and oppositely acting pawls cooperating with the respective ratchet wheels mounted upon-a part reciprocating relativelyto the shaft.

11. In a cigar bunch machine the combination of the hopper, the shaft projecting vertically into the hopper, the collar on said shaft, an upper disk provided with wings,

mounted upon said shaft and having 'a tubu- -lar shank clutched with the collar, a ratchet wheel also clutched with .said collar, a second ratchet wheel rotatable relatively to the first. a lower disk clutched to the second ratchet wheel and provided with wings, and oppositely acting awls cooperating with the respective ratciot wheels and suitably mounted upon a reciprocating part whereby they impart a step by step movement in the ratchet wheels.

12. In a cigar bunch machinethe combination of a hopper. a matrix slide reciprocating beneuth thehopper, the vertical shaft,

the series of wings rotatable around said.-

shaft, the ratchet wheel for imparting rotation to said wings and a pawl cooperating with the ratchet wheel. mounted upon the matrix slide whereby it is caused to reciprocute and impart rotation to the ratchet wheel and wings.

13. In a cigar bunch machine the combination of a hopper and matrix slide reciprocating beneath the hopper. the two series of wings rotatably mounted in the hopper, the independently rotatable ratchet wheels in driving relation to the respective series of wings, and a pair of oppositely actthrough the discharge o piening. toward the the tobacco to the discharge opening, and

ing pawls cooperating with the respective ratchet wheels, mounted upon the matrix slide and thereby caus o ro tangentially to the ratchet wheels and impart thereto step by step movements in opposite matrix. executing its stroke while the latter )5 in receiving position, wings for advancing means imparting step by step movements to the wings, and causing such movements to take place contemporaneously with the movements of the slide.

15, In a cigar hunch machine, a hopper} for containing filler-tobacco having a dis-' charge opening, a slide reciprocating inter-- mittentlv beneath the hopper and having a matrix for receiving and conveying a charge of tobacco therefrom, an intermittently re-' ciprocating plunger for advancing tobacco through the discharge opening toward the matrix, executing its stroke while the latter is in receiving position, two series of wings for advancing the tobacco to the discharge opening, and means imparting step by step movements to the respective series of wings, and causing such movements to respectively take place contemporaneously with the outward and inward movements of the slide.

The foregoing specification signed at Cincinnati Ohio this 20 day of June, 1908.

NAPOLEON DU BRUL.

In presence of H. \VHYRICH, F. BROERMAN. 

